The auncient ecclesiasticall histories of the first six hundred yeares after Christ, wrytten in the Greeke tongue by three learned historiographers, Eusebius, Socrates, and Euagrius. Eusebius Pamphilus Bishop of Cæsarea in Palæstina vvrote 10 bookes. Socrates Scholasticus of Constantinople vvrote 7 bookes. Euagrius Scholasticus of Antioch vvrote 6 bookes. VVhereunto is annexed Dorotheus Bishop of Tyrus, of the liues of the prophetes, apostles and 70 disciples. All which authors are faithfully translated out of the Greeke tongue by Meredith Hanmer, Maister of Arte and student in diuinitie. Last of all herein is contayned a profitable chronographie collected by the sayd translator, the title whereof is to be seene in the ende of this volume, with a copious index of the principall matters throughout all the histories

CAP. VIII.

Of the disagreing imagined to be among the Euangelists about the genealogie of Christ.

IN so much that Matthew and Luke committing the Gospell to writing, haue diuersly deliue∣red vnto vs the genealogie of Christ, and of diuerse are thought to disagree amonge them sel∣ues, so that euery one of the faythfull throughe their ignoraunce in the trueth, endeuour to commente on those places: nowe therefore concerning the premises, let vs propose a certayne history which came to our handes, the which Aphricanus (of whome we mentioned a litle be∣fore) in an Epistle to Aristides, remembred, wryting of the concordancye of the genealogye of Christ, set forth in the Gospels, makinge there with al, a relation of the wrested and false opinions of others, the historye after his order of discourse, he hath in these wordes deliuered to the posteritie. * The names of the kinredes in Israel are numbred, eyther after the lyne of* 1.1 nature, or after the rule limited in the Lavve. after the lyne of nature, as by succession of the naturall seede, after the rule in the Lavve, as by his succession vvhich raysed seede vnto his barren brother deseased. * For as yet the hope of the resurrection vvas not made manifest, they imitated the promise to come vvith mortall resurrection, * leste the name of the deseased vvith his deathe shoulde quite be cut of, for of them vvhich are ledde vvith this line of gene∣ration, some succeaded as naturall children their fathers, some begotten by others haue after others bene called, yet of both mention is made as vvell of them vvhiche truely, as of them vvhich resemble the name of generation. Thus nere nother of the Gospels is founde false, hovv∣soeuer it doth number, be it according vnto nature, or the custome of the Lavve. The kinrede of Solomon and of Nathan is so knit together, by reuiuing of the deseased vvithout issue, by second mariages, by raising of seede, so that not vvithout cause, the same persons are posted ouer to di∣uerse fathers, vvhereof some vvere imagined, and some others vvere their fathers in deede, both the allegations being properly true, though in Ioseph diuersly, yet exactly by descente determi∣ned. And that that vvhich I go about to proue may plainly appear, I vvil declare the orderly suc∣cession of this genealogye, makinge a recitall from Dauid by Solomon. The thirde from the* 1.2 ende is Matthan founde, vvhiche begate Iacob, the father of Ioseph, but from Nathan the Sonne of Dauid, Descending according vnto the Gospell of Luke, the thirde from the ende is* 1.3 Melchi, vvhose Sonne is Hely, the father of Ioseph. For Ioseph is the Sonne of Hely, the Sonne of Melchi. Ioseph being the proposed marke to shoote at, vve must shevve hovv ether is termed his

father, deriuing the pedegrevv of Iacob from Solomon, of Heli from Nathan. and first hovv Iacob, and Heli, being tvvo brethren▪ then their fathers, Matthan and Melchi, borne of diuers kinreds may be proued Graundfathers to Ioseph. Matthan therefore & Melchi, marying the same vvife, begate brethren by the same mother, the Lavv not forbidding a vvidovve either dimissed from her husbande, or after the death of her husbande to be coupled vnto an other man. First there∣fore* 1.4 Matthan descending from Solomon, begate Iacob of Esttha, for that is sayd to be her name. After the death of Matthan, Melchi (vvhich is, sayd to haue descended from Nathan) being of the same tribe, but of an other race, hauinge maryed this vvidovve to his vvife, begate Heli his sonne. Thus do vve finde Iacob and Heli of a different race, but by the same mother to haue bed brethren. of the vvhiche Iacob takinge to vvife his sister the vvife of Heli, his brother deseased vvithout issue, begate on her the thirde, to vvitt Ioseph: by naiuro••and the order of generation vnto him selfe. VVhereupon it is vvritten: Iacob begate Ioseph, by the Lavv vnto his brother He∣ly deseased, vvhose sonne Ioseph vvas, for Iacob being his brother raysed seede vnto him, vvher∣fore nether that genealogie vvhich concerneth him, is to be abolished, the vvhich Matthew the Euangelist reciting: Iacob (sayth he) begat Ioseph. & Luke of the other side: vvhich vvas the sonne (saith he) as it vvas supposed (for he addeth this vvith al) of Ioseph, vvhich vvas the sonne of He∣li, vvhich vvas the sonne of Melchi. And the vvord of begetting, he ouerskipped vvith silence vn to the ende, vvith such a recital of sonnes, making relation vnto Adam vvhich vvas of God. nei∣ther is this hard to be proued, or to smale purpose proposed. The kinsmen of Christ according vnto the flesh, either making apparēt or simply instructing, yet altogether teaching that vvhich is true: haue deliuered these thinges vnto vs: hovve that the Idumaean the eues inuading the city Ascalon in Palaestina, tooke captiue together vvith other spoiles out of the temple of Apollo, ad∣ioyning vnto the vvalls, Antipater, sonne to one Herode▪ that vvas minister in that temple. VVhē the priest vvas not able to pay raunsome for his sonne, this Antipater vvas brought vp after the maner of the Idumaeans, & became very familiar vvith Hyrcanus the high priest of the Ievves. & hauing bene in embasye vvith Pompeye in Hircanus steade, he restored vnto him the kingdome vvhich vvas taken from his brother Aristobulus, assigned him selfe gouernour of Palaestina, and proceaded forvvardes in felicitie. VVhen this Antipater vvas enuyed for his greate felicitie, and vvas trayterously slayne, there succeded him his sonne Herode, vvhich at length of Antonius and Augustus, by decree of the Senate, receaued rule ouer the Ievves, vvhose sonnes vvere Herode, and the other Tetrarches. These thinges are common among the greeke historyes. And when as vnto that tyme the genealogies of the Hebrevves, yea of them also linealy descending of Pro∣selytes, as Achior the Amanyte, and Ruth the Moabyte, likewise as many as fell, beinge deliuered from out of Aegypt, and mixt with the Israelites, were recorded amonge their aunci∣ent monuments: Herode, whome the Israeliticall genealogie auayled nothinge, beinge pric∣ked* 1.5 in mynde with the basenes of his byrthe, burned their auncient recorded genealogies, sup∣posing thereby to deriue him selfe of noble parentage, if none other holpen by publique re∣cordes were able to prone their pedegrewes from the Patriarches, or Proselytes, or such as were cleped strangers horne, and mingled of olde amonge the Israelytes. Very sewe studious in this behalfe doe glorye, that they haue gott vnto them selues proper pedegrewes or remem¦braunce of their names, or other wise recordes of them, for the retayninge of their auncient stocke in memorye, whiche these men mentioned of before, haue attayned vnto, beinge cal∣led because of their affi••i••••e, and kinred with our Sauiour after the name of the Lorde, and* 1.6 trauelinge from the Nazarites and Coc••oba, castles of the Ievves into other regions, they expounded the afore sayde genealogie o•••• of the booke of Chronicles, as farre for the as it exten∣deth.* 1.7 Nowe so euer then the case stande, eyther thus 〈◊〉〈◊〉 otherwise, no man, in my iudgement can finde a playner exposition. Whosoeuer therefore he be that ruleth him selfe aright, he wilbe care∣full of the selfe same with vs, although he wante prefe, to preferre a better, and a ••ruet exposition. The Gospel in al respectes uttereth most true thinges. About the ende of the same epistle he hath these wordes: Matthan descending of Solomon, begate Iacob, Matthan deceased, Melchi vvhich* 1.8 descended of Nathan, on the same vvoman begate Heli then vvere Heli and Iacob brethren by the mothers side, Heli dying vvithout issue, Iacob raysed vnto him seede, by be getting of Ioseph, his ovvne sonne by nature, but Heli his sonne by the lavv th••s vvas Ioseph▪ sonne to both. so farre Aphricanus. Sithens that the genealogie of Ioseph is thus recited, after the same maner, Ma∣ry is termed to be of the same tribe, together with him▪ For by the lawe of Moses, the mingling

of tribes was not permitted, which commaundeth that matching in mariage, be made with one of the same people, and family, lest the lott of inheritaunce due to the ki••red, be tossed from tribe to tribe. of these thinges thus much.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Cap. 7. after 〈…〉〈…〉 greeke. •…•…hricanus 〈…〉〈…〉st. ad Ari∣•…•…ē. he liued •…•…he tyme Origen. •…•…eb. lib. 6. 〈…〉〈…〉. 30. •…•…onnes by •…•…ure, and •…•…nes by 〈…〉〈…〉 Lavve. •…•…n argu∣•…•…t of the •…•…rection.
• * 1.2

  •…•…th. 1.
• * 1.3

  〈…〉〈…〉 3.
• * 1.4

  Matthan & Melchi hus∣bandes to one and the same wife, be gate seuerall sonnes, to vvit. Matthan begate Ia∣cob: & Mel∣chi his sonne Heli. Iacob brother to Heli, on his sister the vvil of Heli be∣gate Ioseph. * Math. 1. * Math. 1. * Luk. 3.
• * 1.5

  Herode bur∣ned the gene¦alogies of the Hebre∣vves to make him selfe a gentleman.
• * 1.6

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Dominici.
• * 1.7

  Paralip.
• * 1.8

  Aphricanu•• epist. ad Ari∣stidem.